M42 (New York City bus)

m42
42nd Street Crosstown
A 2021 Nova Bus LFS HEV (9745) on the West Side Pier-bound M42 in June 2024.
Overview
SystemMTA Regional Bus Operations
OperatorManhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority
GarageMichael J. Quill Depot
VehicleNew Flyer Xcelsior XD40
New Flyer Xcelsior XE40
Nova Bus LFS HEV
Began serviceNovember 17, 1946
1901 (streetcar)
Ended serviceNovember 17, 1946 (streetcar)
Route
LocaleManhattan, New York, U.S.
Communities servedEast Midtown, Midtown, West Midtown
StartEast Side/United Nations - 41st Street & First Avenue
Via42nd Street
EndWest Midtown/Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises – Twelfth Avenue & 42nd Street (Pier 83)
Length2.2 miles (3.5 km)
Other routesM50 49th/50th Streets Crosstown
Service
OperatesAll times
Annual patronage2,384,180 (2023)[1]
TransfersYes
TimetableM42
← M35  {{{system_nav}}}  M50 →

The 42nd Street Crosstown Line is a public transit line in Manhattan, running primarily along 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan. Originally a streetcar line, it is now the M42 bus route, part of MTA Regional Bus Operations and operated by the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority under the New York City Transit brand.

Route description and service

Streetcar line

The 42nd Street Crosstown Line, operated by the Third Avenue Railway, ran along 42nd Street from Pier 83, located at the west end of 42nd Street to First Avenue and 42nd Street. The line ran under the designation X42, with X being used as a prefix for the Third Avenue Railway's crosstown routes.[2]

Current bus service

The M42 utilizes the same route as the streetcar, except that it loops around on its eastern end using the FDR Drive, 41st Street and First Avenue.[3][4] Some eastbound buses may terminate at Grand Central and some westbound buses may terminate at 8th Avenue.

History

Originally chartered in 1878, the Forty-Second Street, Manhattanville & St. Nicholas Railway started service with horsedrawn carriages in 1884, with the Third Avenue Railway acquiring the line in 1896, and alongside it, the streetcar line. From 1898 to 1901, the line underwent the process of electrification.[citation needed]

On November 17, 1946, the streetcar line was replaced by the Surface Transportation Corporation's, the bus-operating subsidiary of the Third Avenue Railway, M106 bus route.[5]

On March 30, 1986, the M106 was re-designated as the M42.[6]

On June 27, 2010, due to a budget crisis, service on the Javits Center branch was discontinued. This change was estimated to annually save $200,000.[7]

There was a time when the M42 used buses from Manhattanville Depot for the A.M. rush, but this was stopped between 2017 and 2019.

References

  1. ^ "Subway and bus ridership for 2023". mta.info. April 29, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  2. ^ "NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, June 1946". tundria.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  3. ^ "Manhattan Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  4. ^ MTA Regional Bus Operations. "M42 bus schedule".
  5. ^ "Buses Will Replace Trolley Cars On 42d St. Crosstown Line Nov. 17; Those of Broadway Line Will Continue to Run East of Times Sq. a Few Weeks More --Other Routes to Be Modernized". The New York Times. November 4, 1946. Archived from the original on May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  6. ^ Linder, Bernard (September 2002). "The M-106 42nd Street Crosstown bus line is re-designated M-42". New York Division Bulletin. Electric Railroaders' Association.
  7. ^ "Evaluation of 2010 Service Reductions" (PDF). mta.info. MTA New York City Transit. September 23, 2011. pp. B85 – B86. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2024.